Misunderstandings and Missing Owls
by Eggbert
Summary: Pigwidgeon surpasses himself by failing to deliver a *very* important letter, which leads to a showdown at The Dursleys and a chance for Ron to find out exactly what Harry's been up to since they left Hogwarts. *Warning. Slash*


MISUNDERSTANDINGS AND MISSING OWLS by Eggbert  
  
  
  
Summary: Two months after Hogwarts and Ron's worried about Harry.  
  
Rating: NC - 17. For some not very nice moments. And slash.  
  
Disclaimer: They're not mine, they're JKR's. I just make them misbehave.  
  
Spoilers: None.  
  
Warning: This story contains slash. Specifically an adult relationship between the main characters, both of whom are over the age of consent. If this disgusts you, you know where the 'back' button is. Flame me and I will laugh. Loudly. Consider yourself warned.  
  
A/N.This will be, I think, the final part of the series that started with 'Revelations'. Consider this story as the missing link. If you've read the others, you'll know what I mean. And what Uncle Vernon wishes they could still do to Harry was once a common punishment for homosexuality in Britain in the fourteenth century. Honestly. And // denotes italics.  
  
Dedication: To Acassha with love for the archive. You can be as officially green as you like girl.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
" Dad, is there any particular day that Muggles go out as a family? " Ron Weasley asked his father one morning at breakfast.  
  
" Today is usually the day. Muggles love Sundays. " replied Arthur firmly. " They go to shops to buy things to make their houses better. Do-it-themselves, they're called. They get hamsters and nails and then, er, it gets a bit technical. " he concluded knowledgeably. " Why? "  
  
" Oh, just curious. " replied Ron, grinning.  
  
The truth of the matter was Ron was planning to visit Privet drive. It had been almost two months since they had left Hogwarts for good, almost two months since he had seen Harry or held him or...He wriggled in his chair. He really didn't need to be thinking erotic thoughts at the breakfast table.  
  
He was also deeply worried. Harry had written, certainly. But his letters had sounded so //hopeless//. And Percy had casually mentioned that Harry had been seeing a fair bit of Oliver Wood, which made Ron seethe with jealousy.  
  
He decided then and there to go. He knew the Dursley's wouldn't dream of forcing Harry to go anywhere with them now. In his last letter Harry had said,  
  
" They're disgusted at having a fully-trained wizard in their house. It's only the thought that I //might// turn them all into slugs that's stopping them from putting me back in the cupboard. They'd be even more disgusted if I told them I was going to work for the Daily Prophet. And as a Quidditch reporter at that. "  
  
Ron Apparated at the end of the Muggle street. He walked towards number four and saw, to his deep relief, that the car was gone. He strode up to the door and knocked hard. He heard footsteps and the door opened to reveal a tall thin young man with messy black hair and glasses. Harry Potter. Ron's Harry. And in spite of the multitude of questions on Ron's lips, he felt his heart warm at the sight of him.  
  
" Ron! " exclaimed Harry, his eyes widening with surprise. " You got my letter then? "  
  
" What letter? " asked Ron, confused. " I didn't get any letter. I came to see you. Have they gone? "  
  
" Yeah, " smiled Harry. " Come in. "  
  
Ron followed Harry into the living room.  
  
" I sent you a note with Pig. " said Harry as they sat side by side on the sofa, Ron''s eyes taking in the spotless room with all the latest Muggle toys.  
  
" I wanted to ask you something important. "  
  
" What? " asked Ron anxiously. Surely this couldn't be it? A 'thanks it was great while it lasted but I'm sleeping with Oliver now'?  
  
" It can wait. " replied Harry. " I missed you. "  
  
Ron opened his arms and Harry moved into the shelter of his embrace. Ron just held him, relieved beyond words that Harry was okay. The Oliver thing could wait. On closer examination his lover looked tired and strained and his emerald eyes were wary.  
  
" Are you okay? " Ron asked. " Are they being as horrible as ever to you? " Harry grimaced and Ron held him tighter.  
  
" Worse. Now that they know they won't get rid of me in September they're being particularly obnoxious. I've had to threaten them a couple of times and if the Ministry got wind of it..."  
  
" They'd say you were perfectly justified. " said Ron firmly. Ron gently stroked Harry's hair with murder in his heart for the Muggles who had systematically abused his darling for seventeen of his eighteen years.  
  
" Come home with me. " Ron blurted out. " You can't stay here any longer. It's tearing you apart. "  
  
Harry smiled at the generosity of Ron's offer but shook his head decisively.  
  
" No, love. I can't impose on your mum and dad like that. I'll sort something out. " And he refused to be drawn any further.  
  
" We're wasting time. " said Harry softly.   
  
Ron understood him perfectly. He tilted Harry's chin up and kissed him, warmly, lovingly holding his lover close.  
  
He had missed this, the intimacy of having Harry in his arms, the soft press of his lips, the sensual flickering of his tongue in Ron's mouth. He adored making out with Harry; he could spend hours kissing him, revelling in the feeling of having Harry's body so close, the way he always seemed to taste of sunshine and smell of the gusty air of the Quidditch field.  
  
" I love you. " Harry whispered as his lips moved to nibble on Ron's earlobe. " Love you so..."  
  
Ron's heart leapt. Whatever it was with Oliver, he was sure it wasn't sex. He buried his face in Harry's neck, gently nuzzling the soft skin.  
  
The world had narrowed to the sofa and the two of them in the tenderest of embraces.  
  
Which is why they never heard the front door slam or Uncle Vernon's loud complaints about inefficient mechanics and second-rate cylinder heads.  
  
But they heard the bellow of rage when Uncle Vernon flung open the door to the living room to find his despised nephew being held and kissed by a red-haired man.  
  
Aunt Petunia went as white as a sheet. //In her own living room//.  
  
Ron and Harry sprung apart, both looking slightly the worse for wear.  
  
" WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, BOY! " roared Uncle Vernon, beetroot with anger.  
  
" What does it look like? " retorted Harry. His eyes, so warm and loving when he had held Ron close, were like chips of green ice. " I'm kissing the man I love. "  
  
" You-you-you..." stuttered Uncle Vernon. He seemed to Ron to be on the verge of a seizure. " You DARE to do something as disgusting as that in my house! You've always been unnatural, boy. Now I find you're a pervert as well. I'm going to //kill// you for this."  
  
He stalked towards Harry with his fists raised. He stopped dead when he saw that Ron and Harry both had their wands drawn.  
  
" Don't come any closer, you bastard. " growled Ron, fiercely protective of his mate.  
  
" Let's talk about unnatural behaviour, shall we? " said Harry shortly. " You //dare// to judge me because of this. A kiss. What about seventeen years of physical and mental torture? What about having the shit kicked out of me if I even dared to //think// differently from you? You knew from the day I was unfortunate enough to be sent here that I was different, yet you tried to crush it out of me. You didn't succeed, and you hate that. And now I'm even //more// unnatural in your eyes. Oh my, what will the neighbours think? And you think //I'm// unnatural." Harry finished sarcastically. Ron got the feeling Harry had been dying to say that for years.  
  
" Get out of my house you filthy pervert! " yelled Uncle Vernon. " There was a time when they would have boiled shirt-lifters like you alive in the town square. If you ask me, they still should. "  
  
" Don't worry. " said Harry, his jaw clenched. " I can't bear to stay here a minute longer. Just to let you know, Dudley's been shagging Piers for the past six months, so I wouldn't be too hard on shirt-lifters if I were you. Come on, Ron. "  
  
They pushed past the stunned tableau of Harry's relatives, out the front door and into the suburban quiet of Privet Drive.  
  
" Where to now? " asked Ron anxiously. " We'd best go back to The Burrow..."  
  
Harry shook his head. " No. Meet me at the north end of Knockturn Alley, okay?" And with that he Disapparated.  
  
Ron followed and found him leaning against the wall, laughing hysterically, tears streaming down his face.  
  
" Did you see his face when I told him about Dudley? " cackled Harry.  
  
" Harry..." ventured Ron, worried sick. He had just reached out to him when Harry turned and vomited into the gutter. Ron held him till the spasm passed, trying not to breathe in the smell of vomit and spent adrenaline. Wordlessly he handed Harry a handkerchief. Harry wiped his mouth and spat with relish into the gutter.  
  
" Harry..."  
  
" Sorry I puked. Reaction, I think. It's okay. " He said seeing the worry in his lover's eyes. " I'm not ready for St Mungo's yet. I just couldn't stand it any more. If I'd stayed he probably would have killed me. He has //views// on same-sex relationships. "  
  
Ron grinned weakly. He could imagine.  
  
" Come with me. " said harry, smiling now. " I've got a surprise for you. "  
  
They walked side by side down the dark cobbled street, Harry refusing to reply to Ron's enquiries about where they were going and what the surprise was and was it //much// further.  
  
" Oh stop moaning. " grinned Harry, reaching out and taking Ron's hand in his. " We're here. "  
  
Here was a tiny residential street just off the main alley. Outside number seven Harry paused and produced a large iron key from the pocket of his jeans with which he unlocked the front door. Curious, Ron followed him inside.  
  
It was a tiny flat consisting of two rooms with the bed screened off by a floor-length curtain. There was a tiny kitchen area and a pair of battered armchairs on either side of the unlit fireplace. It was spotlessly clean and looked unlived-in.  
  
" Nice. " said Ron approvingly. " Who lives here? "  
  
Harry smiled. " This is my place. I had planned to leave Privet Drive next week in any case. Today kind of forced the issue. That's what the letter was all about. The one you never got. I wanted to tell you about this and ask you to..." Harry went very red.  
  
" What? "  
  
" To come and live with me. Oliver tipped me off that this place was coming up for rent and I had to grab it while I could. I know living with someone is an awful big commitment and if you don't want to, I understand, it's just that I don't want to be parted from you ever again...Ron, what's up? " He stopped raving at the expression on Ron's face.  
  
" I don't know whether to punch you or kiss you till you scream for mercy! " yelled Ron. " I've gone though hell thinking you were growing away from me, then Percy mentioned you and Oliver and now I find out you've done all this for me, for us. It's incredible. "  
  
Ron sank into one of the armchairs. " If only I'd got that letter I'd have saved myself some grief. And when that stupid feathery git makes it home, I'll kill him. "  
  
Harry laughed softly. " You were //jealous//? Oh my. "  
  
" I love you. " whispered Ron. " I couldn't stand the thought of..." He shut up as Harry was kissing him.  
  
" I don't know what mum and dad will say. " sighed Ron as he pulled Harry down beside him. " About me moving in with you. "  
  
" We can tell them tomorrow. " said Harry, grinning. Ron raised an eyebrow.  
  
" Tomorrow? "  
  
" Yeah, I've got other plans for you tonight, Weasley. "  
  
" Like...?"  
  
" Like us fucking like rabbits. "  
  
" How romantic. " said Ron sarcastically. " You could turn a guy's head with sweet talk like that. "  
  
They lay together, all sense of urgency gone. Now they had all the time in the world to touch and explore each other, no need for Privacy or Silencing spells, just time to arouse each other and bring each other to ecstasy.  
  
As Ron climaxed deep inside Harry he felt dark, flooding triumph. Mine, he thought. All...mine. For tomorrow and all the tomorrows to come.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
